Origin
Waterloo, IA
Night in Waterloo on Friday
Local time
9:30 PM
CDT
Current temp
68°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Waterloo, IA to Grundy Center, IA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
40m
Distance
30.2 mi
49 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 37m
★
6 AM
0h 40m
8 AM
0h 47m
10 AM
0h 43m
12 PM
0h 42m
3 PM
0h 43m
5 PM
0h 47m
8 PM
0h 38m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Waterloo, IA
Wikimedia Commons
Grundy Center, IA
Ethan Bianco
Trip Overview
The drive from Waterloo, IA to Grundy Center, IA covers 30.2 miles and takes about 40m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Avenue of the Saints, N Avenue, West 4th Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 18.4 miles on Avenue of the Saints. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.72 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 40m. Total distance: 30.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
40m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 40m drive with frequent turns across 30.2 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 13 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Avenue of the Saints is the longest continuous segment at about 18.4 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Washington Street.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 40m drive. You will face about 8 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Washington Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (West 5th Street): Navigation decision point; at 4.1 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 8 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Washington Street
Turn right onto Washington Street
Navigation decision point
4
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
West 5th Street
Turn right onto West 5th Street
Navigation decision point
6
4.1 mi into trip
|
~7m in
Take the ramp
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
22.8 mi into trip
|
~29m in
Take the exit toward IA 14: Parkersburg, Grundy Center
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward IA 14: Parkersburg, Grundy Center
5
30.2 mi into trip
|
~40m in
|
IA 14; IA 175 / G Avenue
At end of road, turn right onto IA 14; IA 175 / G Avenue
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Avenue of the Saints | 18.4 mi | 21m |
| N Avenue | 6.3 mi | 8m |
| West 4th Street | 2.4 mi | 4m |
| Sergeant Road | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| 4th Street | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| West Ridgeway Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| West 5th Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Washington Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Avenue of the Saints
— 18.4 mi, about 21m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Waterloo, IA and Grundy Center, IA.
1
Start on West 4th Street
76 ft
·
6 sec
·
West 4th Street
2
Turn right onto Washington Street
384 ft
·
10 sec
·
Washington Street
3
Turn right onto West 5th Street
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
·
West 5th Street
4
Continue on West 4th Street
2.4 mi
·
4 min
·
West 4th Street
5
Turn slight right onto West Ridgeway Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
West Ridgeway Avenue
6
Turn left onto US 63
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Sergeant Road
Use the left lane.
7
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
Use the left lane.
8
Merge onto US 20; IA 27
18 mi
·
21 min
·
Avenue of the Saints
9
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
59 sec
Toward IA 14: Parkersburg, Grundy Center
10
Turn left onto IA 14
6.3 mi
·
8 min
·
N Avenue
11
Continue on IA 14
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
4th Street
12
At end of road, turn right onto IA 14; IA 175
66 ft
·
1 sec
·
G Avenue
13
Arrive at destination
IA 14; IA 175
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.72 one way
$9.44 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $5.18 | $10.37 |
| premium | $4.89 | $5.81 | $11.62 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.67 | $13.34 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9.1 | 0 | $3.17 | $1.45 |
| Efficient EV | 7.6 | 0 | $2.64 | $1.21 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.1 | 0 | $4.23 | $1.93 |
Gas CO2
11 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (64% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Grundy Center, IA
Night in Grundy Center on Friday
Local time
9:30 PM
CDT
Current temp
49°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
19 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
40m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Waterloo, IA to Grundy Center, IA covers 30.2 miles and takes about 40m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Avenue of the Saints, N Avenue, West 4th Street. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 15.1 miles from Waterloo, IA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.72 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
This is a straightforward 40m drive. You will face about 8 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Washington Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (West 5th Street): Navigation decision point; at 4.1 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Waterloo, IA to Grundy Center, IA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
How this page is built
Compiled by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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